Cleaning the air ducts in your Boise, ID home is a great way to protect and improve your indoor air quality (IAQ). Professional air duct cleaning removes trapped allergens and contaminants, improves airflow, and promotes optimum HVAC efficiency. With regular air duct cleaning, you can eliminate unpleasant HVAC odors, lower your home energy bill, and protect your heating and cooling equipment. Read on to discover the best HVAC air duct cleaning schedule for your home.
The EPA Recommends As-Needed Air Duct Cleaning
According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), professional air duct cleaning isn’t essential HVAC maintenance. Instead, the EPA recommends cleaning ductwork when IAQ significantly declines or when certain events lead to an influx of allergens and contaminants. For instance, the EPA recommends cleaning air ducts after HVAC systems have been exposed to wildfire smoke, smoke from indoor fires, mold, or dust from major renovation projects.
However, the EPA’s recommendation is largely based on the benefits of duct cleaning for indoor air quality and human health. It does not account for the many system-related benefits that duct cleaning provides by optimizing airflow and supporting humidity control.
Recommendations From the National Air Duct Cleaners Association
The National Air Duct Cleaners Association (NADCA) recommends cleaning air ducts every three to five years. According to NADCA, this is the best duct cleaning schedule for protecting HVAC systems and human health. Many HVAC companies and HVAC equipment manufacturers follow the guidelines of NADCA, and they also recommend having air ducts cleaned every three to five years.
Signs You Need Your HVAC Air Duct Cleaned Right Now
Whether you follow the recommendations of the EPA or NADCA, there are several signs that you should schedule HVAC air duct cleaning right now.
Heavy Buildups Behind Your Air Vent Covers
The same thick, lint-like material that builds up on your HVAC air filter will eventually develop in your air vents. If you have heavy accumulations of dust, dirt, hair, and other allergens behind your vent covers, you can safely assume that they also exist inside your ducting.
You may be able to improve airflow and your IAQ by wiping your vent covers clean and gently vacuuming behind them. However, only professional duct cleaning can extract the trapped materials that lie just beyond reach.
Recurring or Severe IAQ-Related Symptoms
If turning on your heater or air conditioner causes people in your household to sniffle and sneeze, it’s probably time to schedule air duct cleaning. Dirty air ducts can cause a host of unpleasant, IAQ-related symptoms, including:
- Itchy, watery eyes
- Skin irritation
- Coughing and wheezing
- Congestion
- Nasal irritation
Cleaning air ducts will help residents breathe a bit easier. For those kept awake by stuffy noses and general respiratory distress, it can also promote deeper and more restful sleep.
Rising Energy Bills
When air ducts are dirty, heaters, heat pumps, and air conditioners have a much harder time moving air. As a result, they use more energy during their heating and cooling cycles and take more time to get their jobs done. If your current-year heating or cooling costs are significantly higher than they were in the prior year, dirty ductwork could be why.
Increased Humidity
Built-up debris in your ducting and the resulting decrease in airflow can leave you with a home that feels warm and muggy, even when your AC or heat pump is on. If you have condensation-covered windows, damp drywall, or recurring problems with mildew or mold, having your air ducts cleaned could solve the problem.
Recent Pest Infestations
Air ducts provide the perfect hiding place for insects and many small animals. When living in ducting, pests track in debris and leave lots of pathogenic waste behind. If you recently treated your home for ants, termites, cockroaches, bed bugs, or rodents, your air ducts could be riddled with:
- Feces
- Food
- Fur
- Carcasses
- Shed wings and exoskeletons
These leavings can trigger asthma and allergy attacks. They can also attract new pests to the area for recurring infestations. With thorough cleaning, sanitization, and deodorization, you can both protect your IAQ and sidestep future pest problems.
Events That Warrant Duct Cleaning
Scheduling routine HVAC maintenance and regularly changing your air filters can minimize in-duct debris. However, the cleanliness of your air ducts is affected by many factors that lie outside of your control. Certain events add more particulate debris to the indoor and outdoor air and cause buildups in your ducting.
The Ingress of Smoke
Idaho’s wildfire season runs from June through August. Although Boise is rarely hit hard, there are years when the outdoor air quality greatly declines. You can protect your HVAC equipment from wildfire smoke and keep your home ventilated and cool by closing your windows and doors and choosing the “Recirculate Mode” setting. However, you should still schedule professional duct cleaning when the air clears to eliminate smoke odors and all related chemical contaminants.
Major Remodeling Projects
If you’re replacing your roof, having a home addition built, or installing new flooring, even the most diligent dust control measures won’t prevent particulate debris from entering your ducting. Worse still, some of these projects can release fibers, chemicals, and other contaminants into your indoor air that are inherently harmful. Cleaning your ductwork will remove all project-related debris.
Local Landscaping and Construction Projects
When there are major earth-moving projects in your neighborhood, your air ducts will invariably take more dust, dirt, and pollen in. If you have a long-running, active construction project nearby, consider having your air ducts cleaned annually. You should also have your air ducts cleaned more often when some or all of your yard lacks a formal landscaping plan. Grass, flowers, shrubs, and other vegetation hold soil down and prevent windblown dust from entering via cracks and gaps in building materials.
The Best Air Duct Cleaning Schedule for Homes With Vulnerable Residents
While the EPA recommends as-needed duct cleaning and NADCA recommends scheduling this service every three to five years, some households need far greater IAQ support. For instance, you might need duct cleaning every one to two years if anyone in your household has a chronic respiratory ailment such as:
- Asthma
- Allergies
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
- Occupational lung disease
Frequent air duct cleaning can also be beneficial for households with infants, age-in-place adults, and residents with compromised immunity or terminal illnesses.
What Happens During HVAC Air Duct Cleaning?
Professional air duct cleaning is a comprehensive, end-to-end treatment of the entire HVAC air distribution system. In addition to HVAC air ducts, our technicians also clean:
- Blower motors and blower fans
- Condensate drains
- Evaporator and condenser coils
- Indoor air handlers
- All air registers, vents, and grilles
Duct cleaning also addresses all heat exchangers, diffusers, and drip pans.
We proudly serve Boise and the surrounding cities with exceptional heating, air conditioning, and plumbing services. We also provide advanced IAQ improvements, drain cleaning, and sewer line repairs. For expert HVAC air duct cleaning, get in touch with Perfect, Plumbing Heating & Air today.
